live visuals
OK
This is BRILLIANT! - Live visuals done right... and done HUGE.
Etienne De Crecy Live 2007 Transmusicales de Rennes from Clement bournat on Vimeo.
April 27, 2008
Etienne De Crecy Live 2007 Transmusicales de Rennes from Clement bournat on Vimeo.
February 20, 2008
kaossilator
This post is in response to a message from Ryan:
You know me so well!
This little toy is F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C_!
I've been recording little 2 bar loops to a digital recorder while commuting to and from work. Nothing I'm ready to share with the world just yet - but who knows... maybe someday I'll have a yellow album of my own. :)
January 20, 2008
great music track
Before, I've written about the great music website : the sixty one
I just thought I'd link a great track that I found on there.
Enjoy the listen.
And if you join up - don't forget to use me as your reference! :)
December 20, 2007
mashed up
Ah, quite clever.
This one's for Dan. Being the Beatles fan that you are, and the person who first introduced me to Led Zeppelin when I was a bit younger...
This one's for you buddy!
November 30, 2007
EBN
Emergency Broadcast Network
I think they were way ahead of their time... or perhaps I'm just still stuck in their time. With the exception of the popular figures of the day (Bill Clinton, and other 90's figures) EBN's music remains in the 'now' for me. Enjoy one of their albums, online for free - with the benefit of VIDEO.
link from audio video blog
January 28, 2007
putting the art in film
wow!
Here's a treasure trove of art videos. I just watched the Philip Glass one, and am now wondering how long it's going to take me to watch all the other ones on this site!
I think it's wonderful that someone has collcted all of these pieces and is allowing people to watch them for free.
Granted I haven't watched them all, so I'm willing to bet that I'll find a few duds here and there. But, this should keep me busy for a while! :)
May 27, 2006
music related
Thinking about it a bit - I had started this to try and share things I found interesting - music I liked - movies - stuff like that... maybe even some things I made.
Well, I'll have to start doing more of that - perhaps less reading of what other folks are writing (can't hurt... I might be in inbox overload -- http://www.43folders.com reference!)
So I am really really liking http://www.pandora.com for making my own stations and I'm trying to purchase the music in iTunes, but they don't sell it... so I went over to the amazon link - and decided I'd recommend one of my favorite albums (right now anyways!)
I'm really digging Pendulum's Hold your Color It's a pity they don't let you listen to any of it!
But here's a cool little link that you can enjoy from pandora! It's my drum and bass radio station - dig it. There's no guarantee that you'll hear any pendulum... but it'll give you a flavor of them I hope.
October 14, 2005
School band play 'Endtroducing' with real instruments
This does indeed rock!
I'm a big fan of DJ Shadow - and hearing people re-create his cut up songs with actual instruments is a really fun thing to listen to.
School band play 'Endtroducing' with real instruments:
via music thing
September 23, 2005
creative rules
I got the link from 43 folders, but want to give credit where it's due. Over on scarletstarstudios there is a post that I feel resonates with me very strongly.
I've been struggling with making music for what seems like years at this point - perhaps because it _has_ been years - yikes - where does time go?!
There are 10 guidelines listed there:
I wanted to list them all here, because I don't want to forget them (for myself!) -- But you should notice that there is no way _I_ could write this comprehensively! :)
1. Quality through quantity. Don't get hung up on making this one piece good -- make ten and one will certainly be pretty good.
2. Do NOT mix generating and editing. When you're making a piece, don't stop and get judgmental half-way through. If it's a piece of crap, get that piece of crap out of your system -- don't try to fix it mid-flow. Finish it, move on.
3. When to judge: After you've completed a piece, look at it and decide what direction you want to go in next. Or if you're selecting pieces for submission to a show, apply your critiquing mind then. Make a piece of art; look at it; make another.
4. Don't be afraid to re-use elements. If each piece has to be unique, then you're going to get hung-up when you create some bit that you like. But if you can re-use bits, then you can keep moving.
5. How to have "lots of ideas": permute. Start anywhere. Once a piece is done, try varying some aspect. Think of all the variables that could have permutations.
6. "Get through your first 50 failures as fast as you can." I don't think that we should be shooting for a place where we no longer make crappy art. A good artist is one who's in motion making lots of art -- you only think they're so much better because they produce so much quantity that their pile of "good art" has also been able to accumulate. For every piece of crap you create, you're one step closer to getting something you really like.
7. Don't even bother "fixing" pieces. Making art shouldn't be a struggle. You're simply "thinking out loud" onto the page, photo-paper, or canvas. If a product seems confused, leave it confused. Make another piece where you contemplate whatever issues you were wrestling with. Try something different. When clarity arrives, it will come in one living piece -- not be Frankensteined together out of a single infinitely re-worked, mangled corpse.
8. Work fast. Creativity is exciting. If you're not judging while you're making, then you can just throw things together as fast as your mind can move. You're smart; if you don't like what you've made, you'll know immediately. You might not know what to do about the problem you perceive... Don't "think", standing there cogitating -- try things. If your hands are in motion, you can be generating new permutations. The one that you want to pick will come out on its own time.
9. Let your level show. Let the world know that despite having years of investment in your art form, you're still a beginner who doesn't know it all. Rather than hide your thought process, let your questions be present in your work. You are a fundamentally more interesting artist if people get to see what it is that you're struggling with, rather than just your final answers. Show your work. Talk about what you still can't understand (unapologetically).
10. Don't hide your failures. If you are only willing to show those perfect pieces that you are aspiring towards, you're never going to display / publish your work. Show everything, the worst of the crap included, and let your ego be humbled -- and goaded to create more.
I think the most important ones to me are the ones that don't let you get down on your output. Sure, I've output tons of crap - but perhaps one day a shiny piece of crap will turn out to be a diamond! --- there's an ugly analogy if I've ever seen one! Especially because -- can you imagine pooping out a diamond - ouch!!
September 12, 2005
heh heh
OK
Somehow this made me laugh:
but hey! what can I say.
It's perverted and wrong - but disturbingly accurate! Thanks audio scrobbler!
I put my picture up there - it's my angry face - turned out to be the only one I could wear today. But someday maybe I'll change it to a happier one.
June 23, 2005
audio scrobbler
OK
guess all the bloggers know about this stuff... frankly, I'm behind the times what with having to work for a living! :)
but there is this cool plug-in for your itunes that will let you upload songs you're listening to, and then it compares them with other people's lists, and tries to find music that you 'might like' with it. Pretty darned cool. Check it out.
My personal page is at http://www.audioscrobbler.com/user/vashremix
That's the crap I've been listening to! :) I think I'll add it as a link that stays on the side. Why not!
June 06, 2005
another good one
Well - after a second trip over to the Remix Hotel - it turns out that other 'famous' folk can be just as cool and just as real as Chuck D, DJ Johnny Juice, and Professor Grif.
DJ Rap gave a presentation about Logic in Apple's room. Turns out she's super-nice and seemed rather down to earth as well. Complained a bit about her lack of starbucks - but hey - I can understand that. She played a couple of her tracks off her new album and showed the beginnings of how she would put together a track.
I think my favorite part was the non-technical advice. The advice like 'if you're just learning Logic, get used to the program without trying to make a music track.' Interesting! Makes sense too - kind of takes the pressure off of you to learn the program and come up with a bangin' track at the same time.
I learned a lot about some of the 'basics' that I think loads of the producers know who are making drum and bass tracks. Learning some of the technical was super helpful as well. I don't think I realized how important compression was to the sound of drums in drum and bass music. She mentioned that Roni Size told her he'd compress drums, resample them - and recompress those! Over and over. Up to 4 times - till they 'sting' like wasps in a glass jar.
I wanted to learn more about where the dnb producers get their samples. And she mentioned one maker of sample CDs - got to check my notes - can't remember off the top of my head right now.
But jumping places a little bit - I hit up M-Audio's booth earlier in the day and learned more about my brand spanking new trigger finger, and how it works with Live. Holy smokes I'm stoked - I didn't know it would do half of what it will do. I mean, software is the key to making it work at it's fullest level... and Live is going to be PERFECT with it! I managed to make some great little drum loops right in the session - too bad I couldn't save em and bring em home!
Ah well - what a good - inspirational day.
Thank you Remix!
June 04, 2005
a good day
Wow! Today was a good day.
I went to the Remix Hotel today that was in NYC. I learned lots of useful things, saw some incredible bands, and listened to some music legends, and even got to talk to some of them one on one. On top of that, I managed to get tech support for some of the problems I've been having with some software programs. I even learned some stuff that my software could do that I didn't realize!
All that for free! Hard to believe.
I have to say that I think Chuck D. (or Mr. Ryan, as his daughter's friends call him) might be one of the most real and approachable famous people I have ever come across. I showed up early to listen to him and producers Dr. Griff, and Juice talk about what is going on in the world of music today. Cakewalk had their name on the event, and I think they expected the three to talk about their products, but they really didn't. Instead it was a real interesting discussion between them (and at times other legends like Jazzy-J) about music, production, and what 'radio friendly' music has come to.
Before the session started, Chuck came in and shook hands with everyone who was waiting for him to come and speak. I have to say - I was surprised and impressed that he took the time to connect with all of his fans sitting there waiting for him. At times the discussion seemed to be as open to all of us in the audience as it was to those on the mics.
It sounds like there's no love lost between those on the stage and some of the hip-hop 'stars' of today.
Which just reminds me of why I always liked Public Enemy - it wasn't just the music that was catchy - it was the ideas behind it - the frustration and anger that confront us all daily. It's not about Alpo going 'double platinum' weekly as they joked on stage - it's about the music, and the message, and the soul of music itself.
It's not about the money.
A fantastic speech.
March 29, 2005
somethign to cheer you up
Here's something that should Cheer you up!
Skinny Puppy and breakdancing.
http://www.blastro.com/player/skinnypuppyprotest.html
Could the world be any better?
I submit that it cannot.
I'll admit that I wasn't their biggest fan ever - that might have been my friend misshell - she turned me on to them - with
"Too Dark Park". The reviewer's is right - it really is a 'horror show for the ears.'
I know that's what I liked about it - I was totally blown away by this kind of music - I hadn't heard anything that hard with synths before. It was truly mind expanding.
So after listening to the pro-test song I'm thinking I might have to buy the new album.
It kind of reminds me of the drum and bass and glitch I've been listening to lately.
What? need links?
Maybe next time. I'll learn how to link to the i-tunes store, and send you there.
February 09, 2005
music
I don't know if I've mentioned lately how much I love my Sirius Radio.
I can't imagine life without it now. I know people will say things like 'how could you _pay_ for radio? radio is free!' Well, I don't know how else to explain it other than to tell you that if you consider yourself a person who loves music you absolutely owe it to yourself to check out Sirius radio.
Now, before you worry about it - I'm just a customer, and a happy one at that, not a hired shill to convince you to buy something you don't want! It is entirely possible that you, somewhat like my parents, don't necessarily eat, sleep, and breathe music.
I've loved listening to the radio since I was allowed to by my mother - 12 years old. When I was 12 I thought top 40 was amazing. It wasn't till a couple of years later that I sort of realized that top 40 and I were destined to part ways. Sometime in middle school I learned all about music that had come before... music from the 50's 60's and 70's that I'd managed to only know little about.
Growing up in a home where my mom would put on 'Tommy' by The Who, or one of their many Beatles albums to listen to had taught me quite a bit about music at a young age, but I didn't know about other types of music. So, simply by spinning the radio dial I could hear all sorts of music that I'd never heard before.
I got to listen to 'classic rock' (probably before it was 'classic!'), then the beginnings of rap coming out of WBLS, and 'new wave' from WLIR, and 'hardcore' from WNYU. Through high school I managed to listen to music that wasn't _quite_ on the radar for everyone else in school, but was still quite popular. Perhaps it was just the timing of it - I'm pretty sure most people know who 'The Cure' are now, but back then it seemed like a smaller club.
Anyways heading off to college in the middle of the country made it a little bit harder to keep up with what was cooking in NY, but I still managed to listen to stuff that was a tad off of mainstream. Can't remember the name of the station but it was X-96... they were OK - but my friends helped me move into industrial. I had _never_ heard anything quite that interesting before. 'Front 242', 'Nitzer-Ebb', 'Ministry' were all doing things that were similar to my hardcore punk leanings, but with some kind of tech-y edge. I didn't realize at the time that they weren't all using guitars, drums and basses! I thought that's what ALL bands used! Kind of funny to look back on that now. I remember wondering and asking people 'how do KMFDM get that huge crashing boom out of a kick drum?'
I've learned a little more about how they did that now - and have played around with some of those sounds myself. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, and perhaps the best way to learn about music - I would sit around and try to pick up bass lines, and then drum patterns from songs I loved.
Like I said - I live, breathe, and sleep music. Listened to it to get homework done (much to my mom's despair), I listen now to get work done (even when I AM editing music tracks!), to fall asleep to, to wake up to, to drive to, to chill to.
The best part of my Sirius radio is that I can flip to almost any mood I feel like. I can relive my early 80's days, live a little of the fun punk scene on 'faction', and keep up with the indies on 'left of center'. I do have to say - they don't quite have _everything_ though. I'd kill for some proper drum and bass, or breakbeat. They say they have it on 'boombox' but they never play the stuff I'd like to hear. Stuff like you could find on www.breakbeat.co.uk or http://www.bassdrive.com/ or http://www.mw-dnb.com/
That's what I want to hear sometimes. But that's also why I've still got my iPod. And why I'm still addicted to buying CDs
Speaking of which - I picked up the latest Chemical Brothers. I think the best song, hands down is 'Surface to Air' if I get around to it, I'll post a link to the iTunes store - but just go buy the album. They haven't made a bad one yet :)
December 06, 2004
remix time
November 27, 2004
FREE Tracktion!
Great news for those of you, who like me, enjoy playing with music software... Tracktion by Mackie is now free!
All you have to do it go over to a registration page, fill out the info, and it's yours!
Personally, I found the registration quite awkward - you have to fill out info, like you'd expect - but they also want your machine ID --- which you can't get until you download the software and run it. So you fill out a '0' for the time being... well, they then email you an 'unlock code' for that 0 code - which , of course doesn't work.
So you have to go back, and fill out the machine ID after you run tracktion on your machine at least one time.
Then they'll email you another unlock file. It should work.
But boy I was confused, cause the first unlock code didn't show up in my mailbox until after I had filled out the machine ID. I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't unlock!
I mean, I get why people have to make software non-piratable... but when it gets in the way of using the software - I just think that's too far.
I don't mean tracktion is doing this - their's is just confusing.
I don't feel like complaining about it though right now - I'll do it another time :)
For now, your job is to get your butt on over to Mackie and grab your own version of tracktion!
Re-wire, midi, audio - it's all there for FREE!
November 24, 2004
rumors rumors rumors
I _need_ one of these.
Rumors always fly about Apple's stuff way before it ever exists - I don't know if this will ever exist or not, but boy I would like to get my hands on one of these. Not just for the audio ins and outs. I mean that's nice and all... I want the spin control and the faders.
Less than $129 sounds very attractive.
I still want some kind of sound card for my laptop that will give me 2 pairs of stereo outputs. I want to be able to preview in live on one set, and output the main mix on the other. I know about the echo card, but I really want something over USB or firewire. $500 is just too much.
But I don't want to get tied in to laptop only.
Hook me up Apple!
November 22, 2004
are you sirius?
So Friday, I let Howard Stern buy me a Sirius radio.
I had to pay for the year of service, and the setup charge, and the shipping... but all in all, I think I got a good deal. I'd been trying to decide between the XM and Sirius for a few months. Then Howard's coupon made up my mind.
It also helped that I'd been tuning in to the 3 day trial over the internet at Sirius, but can't get the same trial at XM cause I have a mac. :(
Sorry XM. I had thought I was going with you - but turns out Sirus cost me less (even though their monthly charge is $12 vs. your $10).
I decided to get the home connection - if I decide it's worth it later on, I'll put it in my car - but I'll just let Best Buy do the install for me. I'm too old to be climbing upside down messing with my radio anymore. Besides, once I change one thing in the car, I notice from then on any little thing that's not 100% perfect. If someone else installs for me... I tend not to notice.
I'm looking forward to the dance stations, and some of the indie stations sounded fantastic! Who knows, maybe I'll even start listening to country! <--- lo dudo
I hope it gets here tomorrow.
February 02, 2004
garage band
Apple's Garage Band application is a pretty nifty thing. I read a post over at Stevef's about it, but now I've installed it and tried it out myself.
I like that it's very MIDI based. I managed to quickly put together a pretty reasonable sounding guitar and drum loop on my own. I do have one minor quibble with it though... I don't recall anyone saying that it would only work in 44k instead of 48k!
Why does that matter?
I've got the fantastically simple to use iMic that I use to hook my mac up to speakers for all my applications.
NO OTHER PROGRAM on my mac has ever complained that the iMic was working at 48k and _it_ could only work at 44k.
I suppose that's what you get for a very cheap (money-wise I mean!) program that's geared towards folk not using anything other than their computer's built in hardware... but... come on. It can't be _that_ hard, can it?
January 22, 2004
old junk
I love dealing with "broken" junk. Ryan came in to work today with a "broken" Clavia ddrum + that he bought for $20. So after he and I both decided that we couldn't possibly break it any further we took it apart to see what wasn't working.
Well, what wasn't working was a disconnected power supply connection (the likes of which we had never seen before), and a power cord with shredded ends. So - we figured what the heck... let's see what we can do. Let's start connecting some wires and see what happens.
So we decided to take out the proprietary power connector and solder a 1/4" Phono female connector to wires that would connect the power to the circuit board. Then we took the power plug's loose wires... hoped to heaven that blacks would match up between the 2 wires and soldered on a 1/4" phono male to the power.
Holy smokes! The darned thing works. And works well! I've not really listened to drum machines from the 80's recently - but this one's pretty neat in that you can tune the drums and change sounds pretty radically. (I wish this MT app had spell check in it!) :)
Anyways the thing went from "broke" to fixed in less than a few hours. Now I would never say that I actually KNOW how to fix anything electronic... but doing this and my iPod repair (maybe I'll write that up someday) I'm feeling way more confident in my own ability to trouble shoot simple problems.
I told Ryan I think I'm more excited about the thing working than he is... I know he gets to play with the drums, but I feel like I'm pretty cool managing to get "broke" to working.